For the first time since the end of January, Kaiden Guhle was on the ice for the Montreal Canadiens on Friday night as they tried to end their four-game losing streak against the Carolina Hurricanes. Before the game, the blueliner was interviewed by Marc Denis on RDS and explained he thought the Habs needed to focus on defense considering how many goals they had given of late, adding they knew they could score goals since they have talented players…

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About The Lineup

With Guhle ready to return, Martin St-Louis elected to dress seven defensemen and 11 forwards, meaning Joshua Roy lost his place in the lineup. While Roy hasn’t been breathtaking since being called up, he can at least shoot the puck, which is more than can be said of a diminished Joel Armia, who has been struggling with a wrist injury.

Roy had two goals in the last four games but was minus-one in the previous two contests. Still, it’s a questionable decision to me. As willing as Armia is, if he cannot take a shot, he cannot help the team.

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Furthermore, that formation makes it rather hard to manage everyone’s ice time and the pairings on the blueline. Given Guhle's long absence, it was understandable to use seven blueliners. 

There Needs To Be A Balance

While Guhle was right in saying the defense needed to improve, you cannot forget about the offense. Just like scoring without defending won’t win you any games, defending without scoring will have the same result.

Montreal came out strong out of the gate and scored just 23 seconds in, but Carolina tied up the score 18 seconds later, taking the wind out of the Canadiens’ sails. It was a lucky goal, which is a shame considering how well Samuel Montembeault handled himself for the rest of the period, but there comes a time when you must make the big saves, the game-changer to give your team wings. That goal on the Canes’ first shot was a gut punch.

To make matters worse, the first line struggled against Rod Brind ' Amour’s team, with the top line accounting for a single shot in two periods. As reported in our pregame article, this has always been a tough matchup for the Habs’ top dogs. Cole Caufield didn't take a single shot on goal, while Nick Suzuki and Juraj Slafkovsky had one a piece. 

The Canadiens had four shots on goal in the first frame and three in the second to make it seven over the first two periods, their lowest total of the season after 40 minutes. They managed just eight three times this season and nine once. Montreal finished the game with 15 shots, nowhere near enough at any time in the season, but especially now that it's crunch time. 

A Mistake Xhekaj Cannot Afford

With seven defensemen dressed, Arber Xhekaj looked to be feeling the pressure of a possible scratch. He was directly responsible for the odd-man rush on the Hurricanes' third goal. He took himself right out of the play by trying to land a big hit at the blue line, forgetting his defensive coverage and leaving Sebastian Aho free to score an insurance marker.

Xhekaj’s gritty play can be an ace up St-Louis’ sleeve, but only when he plays smart. The rearguard had been making better reads this season, but not on this rare Friday night game. In the end, he only spent 3:52 on the ice, including a single shift in the final frame that lasted four seconds. That was a 12th consecutive loss in Carolina for the Canadiens who haven't won in Raleigh since 2016.

The Canadiens lost a fifth consecutive game, this time 4-1, and with the Columbus Blue Jackets beating the Vancouver Canucks, the Habs are now outside of the playoffs picture looking in. At least, the blame lays squarely at their door. While Montreal has a day off on Saturday, the New York Islanders, who have a game in hand, will be taking on the Tampa Bay Lightning and with a win, they would leapfrog both the Habs and the Jackets to land the second wild card spot.  Columbus could get it back with a win against the Ottawa Senators on Saturday night however. 

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